A pilot study (McInnes,
2014) found using two simple text
messages to remind homeless veterans of appointments reduced cancelled
appointments from 53 to 37 and no show appointments were reduced from 31 to
25. Hospitalizations were reduced as well. Although the decrease in
missed appointments were not statistically significant, a reduction in the use
of the emergency department was statistically significant.
One might believe homeless veterans would not be a target population for
mHealth interventions however, the published article reports that 44% to 62% of
homeless persons indicate mobile phone ownership and up to 55% have report
computer access. The study was small, but points to a potential cost
savings of a minimum of $2.3 million to the Veterans Affairs healthcare system.
Reference
McInnes,
D. K., Petrakis, B. A., Gifford, A. L., Rao, S. R., Houston, T. K., Asch, S.
M., & O’Toole, T. P. (2014). Retaining homeless veterans in outpatient
care: a pilot study of mobile phone text message appointment reminders. American journal of public health, 104(S4), S588-S594.
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